Treasure
by sinemoras09
Summary: He will always be a precious, unattainable entity. Series of oneshots and drabbles featuring Kazuma/Bishamon, post-chapter 69. PWP, AU. Hurt/comfort, fluff, smut. Spoilers for chapter 69.
1. Treasure (rated M)

_Author's note: written after chapter 69. Assumes Kazuma and Bishamon survive, and that Kazuma had turned or nearly turned phantom after stinging her._

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The water from Kofuku-dono's spring is cold at first, but after a few minutes the shower is warm and Bishamon is able to lean heavily against the stool propped up against the wall. Her muscles ache - she had swung shikki easily in the hours before, but now her arms hurt as she gingerly washes her hair and body. Her body is covered with a multitude of cuts and bruises - one boot-sized welt by the crest of her ribs, a large gash across the side of her thigh - and she moves slowly, stiff from the pain in her arms and legs. Holy water mixes with dirt and grime and dribbles along the bathroom tile, and she winces a little as the water stings against open wounds.

She has always been grateful for Kofuku-dono's friendship. Even as the Heavens cast her aside, the Binbougami cheerfully offered her and Kazuma safe harbor. ("The Heavens don't like me anyway~!" Kofuku-dono said happily, when Bishamon protested. Behind her, Kazuma had kept his eyes downcast as Daikoku quietly prepared a room.)

She switches off the light, then drags herself onto the bed, which Daikoku had made a few hours earlier. It is too much effort to try to get dressed or even drape the blanket over herself; she sags onto a pillow, curling her body into the least painful position she can muster.

Across from her, Kazuma is leaning heavily against the wall. He is just as tired and injured as she is, but he seems weighted even more by the fact that he had stung her. He doesn't look at her; he avoids her eyes.

"Kazuma," Bishamon says, and she holds an arm out across the bed. She sees him lift his eyes, which are wet and swollen, and he swallows thickly. "Kazuma, come here."

He hesitates a moment- _should I? Do I deserve to be close to her?_ , she can read it plainly on his face - before evidently deciding he shouldn't go against his master and slowly rising from his seated position. Bishamon smiles at him encouragingly as he sits heavily on the mattress. She pulls herself closer, one outstretched hand clasping him around his waist, before dragging herself onto his lap. He looks like he's going to cry when he gently rests his hand on the side of her head, then carefully begins to comb at the damp tangles of her hair.

The room is quiet. She is beginning to drowse when she feels Kazuma shift position, gently trying to ease her head off his lap.

"Is this uncomfortable?" she asks, softly.

His voice is thick when he answers. "No."

"Then why are you moving?" she asks.

A moment. "I thought you were falling asleep."

"I was," Bishamon says. "I'd like you to stay with me."

Another moment. She can feel his indecision before he answers her. "I'll just be right there," he says. He is talking about his spot in the corner.

"Kazuma. Did I not just say I want to stay with you? You will stay with me tonight and we will share this bed."

Kazuma starts, "Veena, I-" before Bishamon cuts him off.

"Stay," Bishamon says. And then, "I do not wish to sleep alone."

He nods - he has never openly defied his master - and quietly he takes off his glasses, setting them on the nightstand. Bishamon nods at him and lifts the covers, wrapping her arms around his body as he gingerly slides into the bed. The fabric of his shirt is thin and she can feel the warmth of his body as she settles against him.

There is a comfortable spot between Kazuma's neck and shoulder, and Bishamon tucks herself against him, resting her cheek on his chest and curling her leg across his hip. She sighs against his neck. Her mouth rubs against the tender skin of his jugular.

Sometimes, when she sleeps with Kuraha in his lion form, she will nuzzle her face against his mane the exact same way she is nuzzling Kazuma now. She has always loved the softness of Kuraha's mane, the sturdy warmth of his lion's fur and the thick, ropy muscles beneath, and perhaps it is this habit that makes it so easy for her to curl up next to Kazuma now. One arm slung heavily across his chest, her leg across his hip and the front of her body pressed firmly against his side, she nestles her face against his chest the way she would Kuraha's mane.

But unlike Kuraha, Kazuma is shaking. His muscles are tense beneath her body. While Kuraha would purr and softly knead her at her back, Kazuma's arms stay ramrod straight against his sides, and while Kuraha would be relaxed and drowsing, Kazuma is more awake than ever.

"Am I hurting you?" Bishamon says. She realizes Kazuma is just as injured as she is - she could be resting her weight on a deep bruise or an open wound, but that self-sacrificing streak of his would make it so that he would rather suffer in silence than to simply tell her - and she is about to apologize for her carelessness when she realizes Kazuma is crying. He swallows and blinks rapidly, staring up at the ceiling as tears roll down the sides of his cheeks.

"Kazuma?" Bishamon says, and Kazuma sobs, quietly. She moves but he turns on his side and buries his face against her, and Bishamon worriedly pulls him close, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. His sobs are choked, broken, and Bishamon doesn't know what to do, feeling wholly inadequate to comfort him.

"Why are you crying?" Bishamon says. She stares up at the ceiling, lost. "Kazuma. We're fine. What on earth is wrong?"

He shakes his head against her shoulder and hugs her tight, sniffing and taking deep, shuddery breaths. "I almost lost you," he says, raggedly. "I couldn't control myself. I stung you." There is a quiet horror in his voice. "Veena...I'm so sorry."

"Hush," Bishamon says, and she hitches him closer. "A shinki stings their master when their master errs. You did nothing wrong."

She has never seen her Kazuma so broken. He cries and his body is wracked with violent sobs, and Bishamon holds him, silently hating herself for not knowing how to deal with this better. A proper god would know how to comfort her shinki, but Bishamon is wholly unsuitable for this task. "It is all right," Bishamon says, softly. "I should never have put you in that position in the first place."

He nods miserably and she strokes his head, and for the first time this whole night she feels his body relax. They have switched positions - now she is the one lying on her back with his face and body tucked into her shoulder - and as she hitches him close she can feel the weight of his body against her bare skin. Quietly she presses a chaste kiss on his forehead - she has kissed Kuraha and her other children numerous times like this - but as she does Kazuma lifts his head up, abruptly. It is the first time she has ever kissed him, not for never wanting to, but because of the vague sense from Kazuma that doing so would be improper.

"Veena?" he says. His eyes are searching hers. Bishamon smiles softly, reaching out to touch the side of his face.

He stares at her wonderingly. She can feel his longing like an ache at the center of her chest, and the connection between them throbs hotly. His eyes are wide and his heart is beating hard against her skin.

Slowly, she tilts her head upward, and lets her mouth graze the side of his lip. Carefully she moves her lips, brushing her mouth along the wet trail of his tears, kissing the side of his face and then the corner of his eyes. The ache grows. She had thought the action would soothe him, but instead she can feel his emotions roiling beneath the surface. Doubt and uncertainty and so much self-loathing. She wishes she were better able to comfort him.

His longing is overwhelming. She smiles and kisses him again, carefully kissing him on the center of his lower lip. His lips are soft and dry and part gently, and though the night is cool her flesh feels hot and soft underneath his hands, which have settled around her waist, although just barely.

He sighs quietly. His eyes are still swollen and he drinks the air with ragged breaths. "We can't," he says, hoarsely. Their foreheads touch. She doesn't know what he means.

"Can't...?" she says.

"We can't do this," Kazuma says.

Their faces are close. If she were to tilt her chin upward she would be kissing him again. "Why?" Bishamon says.

"Because..." he struggles. "Because you deserve better."

"Better?" Bishamon says. She strokes his face, nudges her forehead against his.

"I don't want something better," Bishamon says, softly. "I want my Kazuma. I want you by my side."

"I-" Kazuma closes his eyes again, a tear spilling over. She smiles up at him and kisses him again, pulling him close, trying to comfort him. She squeezes his body and he squeezes his eyes, and when she kisses him again he kisses her back. "I'll hurt you," he says again. She kisses the side of his face, dragging her mouth along his neck and wrapping her arms tightly around him. "Veena-"

"Kazuma," Bishamon answers.

She has lived to see the heavens torn asunder and her blessing shattered against the craggy rocks. She will not let go. She will not give in.

When he was new and young, there were times when she wanted to kiss him. He would look at her with blushing deference back then, but she would watch the way he moved with growing affection. His clumsiness, his eagerness to please - she didn't understand what she felt for him, then. It was a feeling she couldn't articulate into words.

She communicates best in battle. Each swing of her sword, each strike and cut speaks more clearly for her than useless words. This is how she shows her love - by fighting, defending. _Protecting_. Shielding them with her body, taking and dealing those blows.

But tonight is a different battle, and though the muscles in her shoulders burn from the day's earlier exertions, she moves forward the only way she knows.

Her mouth drags hot across the tender line of his collarbone, her hands unbuttoning the front of his shirt and sliding around his ribcage. She has never wanted him more badly than this, when his body is a study in small imperfections: a dozen pockmarked scratches peppering his flank, the harsh burns seared into the meat of his shoulder. She sees the cuts along his arms and the dark bruises dealt to him by the heavens, and thinks to herself how easy it would be to destroy them.

But for her blessing she would have gladly turned into a god of vengeance. She tells him this by gathering her fingers into his hair, tugging him roughly against her while her hand gropes blindly for his. She finds it, then hauls it up toward her bare chest. She is rewarded with a soft gasp and startled straining of his hips against her.

His mouth is hot when he kisses her back, and she can feel the growing hardness between them. She kisses him frantically, her body growing lax with need as her hands go to his belt buckle. The belt clinks with protest but she is able to undo it anyway, scrabbling at the button of his pants until he relents and undoes it for her.

Her mouth latches hard to his neck as he yanks off his shirt and pushes down his pants, and they fall back onto the bed clumsily, Bishamon gasping at the sudden moist warmth of his mouth on her breast, his thumb rubbing harsh circles along her other nipple. The covers on the bed bunch up uncomfortably by her hip, and she pushes them aside, the remainder of Kazuma's clothes falling in a messy heap on the floor.

" _Kazuma,_ " she gasps, feeling his weight heavy against her stomach. "Kazuma, I need-we need to-"

"Okay." He reaches a hand between their bodies, and she feels the blunt head of his erection against her.

She tenses. It is a foreign sensation and he has trouble pushing inside.

"I'm hurting you," he whispers, appalled.

"I've had worse before," she says.

"Veena-"

"Don't stop," she says, and she digs her heels into his flank and bears down, forcing her body to submit as he slides up inside and penetrates her fully.

She cries out. The pain is surprisingly sharp and she bites her lip to keep from crying.

"Oh Veena! Veena! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" and he pulls out quickly, the abruptness of the motion leaving her feeling bereft. Tears roll down her face and he gathers her close, kissing her eyes and desperately stroking her hair.

"Veena-"

"It's okay," she says. Her voice is hoarse. "I wanted you to."

She feels him hitch her close and she presses against him, shaking slightly. Waves of humiliation and self-hatred crash through their connection, and weakly she reaches a hand around his waist in an attempt to reassure him. "Let me try again," she whispers. He shakes his head.

"That isn't a good idea."

"Just let me try," she says, and she hovers over him. He's on his back this time, and she stills as he helps her guide him to her entrance. The feeling is uncomfortably full and stretched as she slowly lowers herself, sucking in the air in tense breaths.

The pain is nothing compared to the throng of enemies she faced just a few short hours earlier. She is a war god used to throwing herself in battle, and this instance is no different. With relief she realizes he's finally fully sheathed inside her, and she leans against his chest and tries to keep from moving, waiting to adjust to his size.

He throbs inside her suddenly and she gasps, surprised at the sensation. "What was that?" she whispers.

"I couldn't help it," he says.

"Does this feel good?"

His face is red but he nods apologetically.

"I see." Carefully she rolls her pelvis forward, watching his face. His mouth opens in a half-parted 'o,' and she feels another involuntary movement. Another pulse. He sighs softly, but his hips remain still.

She has always been good at using her body, and she finds that mastering this act is little different. Pushing up against his shoulders, she begins to move her hips slowly, dropping a soft kiss along the side of his cheek.

His voice is a low whine when he whimpers, " _Veena_ ," and she takes that as confirmation that she is moving correctly. The pain has long since subsided; she feels him slide in and out, and gradually it starts to feel good. She moves on instinct, sighing and grinding her core against his pelvis.

It feels good. It feels good to move, the whole length of him sliding deliciously in and out. It feels good to grind down on his pelvis, pleasure gathering against her clitoris and making her thighs shake. She grinds down savagely against him, desperate to feel more of that sensation.

He lets out a soft cry, and she leans forward, breathing hard and straining against him. Her hair swings over her face as she moves, pistoning her hips and ignoring the burning pain in her arms and legs. Her muscles still hurt and her arms begin to shake, and every wound and bruise seems to hurt worse on her body. She tries to ignore the pain in her arms but the burning in her shoulders is too much to take.

"Forgive me, Kazuma, but I don't think I can continue." His eyes snap open. He makes a move to pull away when she pushes down on him determinedly.

"I am sore from the day's battle." She looks him in the eyes as she speaks, reassuring him. "My arms are sore from holding shikki. I think it would be better if you did this."

His eyes are bright. Worried. "Are you sure?"

She smiles at him, nodding. "If you wouldn't mind?"

"I- no, I don't mind." He scrabbles out from underneath her.

She lies on her back and smiles up at him, letting her knees fall to the side. He hovers above her uncertainly, before leaning forward, cradling her close to him. He kisses the hollow of her sternum, then moves to kiss a line down toward her navel and toward the crest of her hip, carefully avoiding the areas of bruising and raw, chaffed skin.

Bishamon cranes her neck upward, watching him. He is kissing her open-mouthed against her leg, rubbing his mouth along the soft flesh of her inner thigh before pressing penitent kisses along the mottled bruise along her flank. Gently, he begins to mouth the wet seam of her body, kissing her lower lips like a mouth before softly licking upwards.

She gasps at the sudden sensation of it, the pleasure building as he focuses his attentions on the small pink bud above her entrance. Each lick is slow and soft and deliberate, and she moans hoarsely and pushes her pelvis upward, rocking her hips against his mouth and straining toward something. She breathes. He sucks gently and continues his ministrations. She tightens her thighs and strains upward, higher and higher.

She cries out and pitches forward, jerking hard with irregular beats. The pleasure is sharp and intense and she sobs from the stimulation. Eventually the pleasure slows, and what was once explosive and overwhelming dies down to a scattered popping. Her body quakes. Her heart thunders in her ears as she tries to catch her breath.

"Kazuma. What..." she opens her eyes, breathlessly. "What was that?"

"I think you had an orgasm." His voice is soft. He moves up along the length of her body, shyly.

"Does it always feel like this?" she asks. He leans against her, cradling her against him. "Why haven't we done this earlier?"

He laughs softly against her collarbone. "It would be improper," he says. His eyes are smiling. They kiss and he moves a hand between their bodies, positioning himself against her entrance. One smooth stroke, and he slides inside her easily. She gasps and beams up at him, happy, reaching a hand upward to caress his cheek.

"You know," she says, smiling. "You have always been the only shinki who could penetrate me."

He laughs softly. "Because I was a nail?"

"Because you are my blessing, and you always will be."

She gazes up at him tenderly.

They kiss. His tongue probes her mouth and he gathers her close, moving with dogged purpose. He pants and squeezes his eyes, the skin of his forehead flushed and damp. She hugs him and his thrusts grow more erratic. He sighs and breathes hard against her cheek.

He pulses inside of her, filling her with his seed, and his body grows still and motionless. Instinctively, she pushes her pelvis upwards and grinds against him, tightening her flank and thighs until she brings herself to a second orgasm, jerking hard and clutching at his shoulders. She feels his heart beating rapidly through his chest, his ribs expanding and contracting as he breathes.

For a moment, they lay there motionless. They breathe in tandem, her fingers laced tenderly through his. Her heartbeat slows and she feels him nuzzle shyly against her.

"I love you," he says, softly. Even now he seems unsure, as if she could still reject him at this very moment. But Bishamon beams up at him and kisses him, smiling. Her eyes are soft when she looks at him again. "Veena I love you so much."

"I know," she says, gently. His eyes are bright and she smiles up at him, fondly.

The rest of the night, they lay curled against each other's bodies, Bishamon dropping soft kisses along the side of his throat. He has loved her for centuries, but it took nearly losing him for her to have finally understood:

He is such a small vessel, but to her, he will always be a precious, unattainable entity.

She wants to treasure him. He is a vessel she would never wish to lose.


	2. Interlude

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The night is quiet when she wakes.

Beside her, Kazuma is sleeping. His body is warm and his face is pressed against her nape. Turning to face him, she reaches up and presses a soft kiss on his cheek; he shifts and his eyes slowly blink open, quiet and soft with a gentle expression. She smiles and they kiss, slowly and gently.

Her hand gently traces a line along the side of his cheek. He has never lost that rounded softness, the hint of boyish baby fat that seemed so prominent in the old days. He looks so young, Bishamon thinks, and realizes that change was in how he carried himself - the squaring of the shoulders, the straightness of his spine, the pitch of his voice modulated to carry more authority. But here now, he is as soft and guileless as when she first met him. Her fingers splay out over his chest, feeling the bump of his clavicle and the ragged edge of old scars, the angry line where she had cut him. Quietly she dips down and rubs her mouth over the spot; he sighs and she reaches up to kiss him again, her lips curving into a smile as they brush against his.

She leans back against his chest, feeling warm and content lying against him. She feels him gently carding his fingers along her scalp, shifting a bit to hold her.

"We should do this every night," she murmurs. "Kazuma. Why haven't we?"

He chuckles and presses a kiss against her forehead. "I didn't know you felt this way about me."

She traces a line across his ribs and considers, quietly. "Why else would I have you name me?"

She can read his expression - he was just a small nail, her love for him was something unfathomable.

They start to sleep. She nestles in his arms, reveling a little at how good and warm and safe he feels. She presses another soft kiss against his neck before tucking herself against him. She feels him kiss her hair before shifting her closer.


	3. Second time (rated M)

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.

For all the times she has walked naked in front of him, Kazuma has never really looked at Veena's body before.

He can't help but stare at her as they're lying next to each other, her on her back and him facing her on his side. Unlike in the movies or in the non-explicit doujin Yato sometimes drew for him, the bedsheet is not hitched up demurely beneath her arms; rather, it is down, tangled along her torso and exposing her bare breasts. Even the dim moonlight seems to conspire against him, highlighting the soft mounds and skimming the tips of her pink, pert nipples. She doesn't usually sleep naked, but after their intimacy she couldn't be bothered to put on a nightgown.

"Is something wrong?" Veena says, and Kazuma catches himself, flushing and jerking his head up to meet her eyes.

"Forgive me," Kazuma says. "Your bedsheet was slipping and I didn't mean to stare."

She glances down at her chest, frowning. "What is so interesting?" Veena says.

Kazuma stammers. "Nothing. I just..." he thinks of a million excuses, but decides it's probably best to stick with the truth: "I never really saw you naked so up close before."

She scoots closer, rolling to her side to face him. "Did you want to touch them?" she asks.

Kazuma flushes. "...are you sure?"

She laughs fondly, then pulls his hand over her breast. "I like it when you touch me," she says. She smiles at him affectionately. "You may touch my breasts whenever you like."

"Um..." It's hard to think, not when she's smiling at him softly and all the blood from his face is rushing somewhere decidedly more south. "...Okay."

"Okay," she says, smiling, and she moves to position her torso closer to him.

Veena's breasts are soft. Her skin is warm and her breasts are soft and heavy. Blushing hard, he hesitantly leans forward and presses a shy kiss against her nipple. She sighs softly, and he blushes again, eyes flicking upward, before lowering his head and gently laving her nipple with his tongue.

She rolls onto her back. Carefully he rests his body between her legs and begins to kiss her breasts, delicately licking the tips of her nipples before sucking gently.

Veena sighs and he can feel her rocking her pelvis upward. Carefully he lowers himself, nudging his face against the soft swell of her thighs, then suckles gently on her clitoris.

The sounds Veena makes are nothing like he's heard her make before, not in all the centuries they've been together. He's heard her cry - ugly, ragged sounds as she gasped and struggled for breath - and he's heard her laugh, bright like the sound of bells. Even the shouts of war and grit and exertion, the long, deep breaths at the end of battle - are nothing compared to the soft, desperate sounds she's making now, the shallowness of her breathing, the way her body tightens and quivers beneath him.

But when she comes, it's soundless. Her mouth is open and slack, and her hair tousled and falling in all directions.

After a moment, her body falls soft and pliant, and he pulls himself upward, wrapping her in his arms and kissing the side of her neck. She is smiling, dazed and happy from her orgasm. They kiss and she nuzzles her face against him, and he thinks to himself that he's never felt happier.

She makes a movement toward him, at once sliding her palms up his shirt and slipping a hand into the waistband of his pants, but he stops her, gently moving her hand. That contented expression turns into a frown. "Kazuma?"

"You're sore. It was your first time, we don't have to do this now."

She frowns at him, furrowing her brow. "But don't you want to?" Veena says.

He smiles. "I'm happy just being near you," Kazuma says.

"You've been 'near me' for centuries." She wraps her arms around him, frowning. "Kazuma. You have always been by my side. At least allow me to make love to you."

"Don't push yourself. We have plenty of time."

"I suppose this is why you're my guide." Veena sighs, quietly. "Very well. Then what shall we do about this?" She is referring to his very noticeable erection pressed up against her thigh.

"It will go down momentarily," Kazuma says.

"That hardly seems fair." She's already lightly circled her fingers around his shaft, gripping him over the fabric. "Show me how to touch you?"

"Um." He gently covers his hand over hers, showing her how to grip him.

"Like this?" she says. She adjusts, stroking upward. He sighs and nods against her neck.

"Do you do this a lot?" She's already pulled off his shirt and slipped her hand inside his pants, wrapping skin-to-skin and stroking him in a way that's making him rock his hips into her hand.

"Um. On occasion. Sometimes." His voice is breathy and his face is red.

"Really? I never would have thought that of you."

She adjusts and he lifts his hips, letting her pull down his boxers so that they're both naked again. He isn't just hard now, he's stiff and leaking, his cock heavy with arousal as she strokes him. He starts to push his hips eagerly, straining to get off, and he's about to come when she abruptly leans forward, her soft wet mouth closing over his tip.

The sound he makes is low and needy, and that ability of his, that searchlight awareness of everything around him, narrows into nothing but the soft warmth of her mouth and the pleasure that's starting to crowd out the rest of his thoughts. He moans softly, turning his head and closing his eyes.

He is close to coming again, and he starts to throb just as Veena pulls back abruptly. He opens his eyes and sees her once again hovering above him.

She sinks down on him without preamble, and his penis jerks at the unexpected sensation, the soft, wet warmth squeezing around him. She pushes her hands into the mattress and positions her hips, sliding carefully around him.

"Are you okay?" Kazuma says. Veena breathes then nods, her eyes squeezed shut.

"I'm fine. I told you, Kazuma, I want to do this."

"How are your arms?" he whispers.

"Fine."

"You're not sore?" he asks.

"Just a little."

She's moving again, steady but with gathering purpose. She's wet and slick and slides back and forth on him, easily.

And then she sags against his chest, wincing a little. "Actually, Kazuma. My arms still do hurt a little."

"I wasn't referring to your arms," Kazuma says, but he obliges as she rolls onto her back. He moves and slides inside her without any resistance, wet as she is from her previous orgasm. "Are you sure doing this is okay?"

She smiles up at him. "What kind of war god would I be if I couldn't handle a little pain?"

"It shouldn't hurt," Kazuma says, frowning, and he's about to pull out when she wraps her legs around him.

"Humor me," she says, smiling.

He ducks his head, laughing softly against her neck. "Okay," he says. He lightly kisses the side of her neck, then begins to move slowly. "Tell me if it's too much?"

"If you think that little of me, fine. But as I told you before, I've had much worse." She's already arching her pelvis up against him, grinding upwards with his movements. She breathes hard, then reaches out and grabs him by the flanks, which startles him, and he stops, mid-movement. She moans appreciatively and grinds harder against him.

"Stay still a moment," she says, her voice tight and breathy, her hips grinding up and her hands pushing his weight against her pelvis insistently. "Stay still, stay still, oh Kazuma, _oh_ -"

She shudders and jerks, and he feels her contract around him. As soon as the tension in her body releases he moves again, pushing up inside her as she comes down from her orgasm. She's even wetter now and his thrusts squelch lewdly, and she feels so good he wants to burrow further inside. Without thinking, he hauls up one leg clumsily over his shoulder, then another, folding her practically in half; her mouth pops open in surprise as he thrusts harder and faster, one hot cheek plastered against her shoulder.

"K-Kazuma. My ribs. Wait, my ribs-"

"Oh, sorry-"

"No, turn me on my side. _Unh_. No, my other side."

"What?"

She twists below him, and he thinks he knows what she's getting at, except his ability seems to be failing him and all he wants to do is keep thrusting harder and faster, deeper and further, but he musters up all his concentration to _move_ until he's rolling her onto her side, curling her up on the mattress with him still inside her, it's awkward at first but he thinks he can get the hang of it, except he is not a war god and balance isn't particularly his strong suit. "From behind," Veena says. She pulls him down on top of her. "Enter me from behind."

"That won't hurt?"

"Just-" and she pushes him back onto the mattress into a spooning position behind her, scooting her bottom against his pelvis and lifting her top leg, giving him access. He slides up inside her and she moans loudly, pulling his hand between her legs and guiding his fingers toward her clit greedily.

He latches his mouth onto the back of her shoulder, pumping hard as his breath fans across her skin. There are long strands of hair that stick to his face and cheek but he doesn't care, slinging one arm heavily around her body and pushing her closer to him as he thrusts. He's never felt anything so good, she feels amazing. Hot. And wet. And just. _Just_...

He gasps and comes, clinging to her back and tightening his arm around her, pulsing heavily and breathing hard. His fingers grind into her clit and she reaches a hand to push his fingers down harder, stroking herself with his hand until she's jerking and coming with him, her mouth hanging openly obscenely and messy strands of damp hair sticking to her face.

He sags against her, and they breathe hard, her back still plastered against his chest and his arm still slung over the side of her waist. He wants to keep hugging her like this, the two of them curled up like tender spoons, but he softens and slips out before he can catch himself, and Veena shifts as dribbles of semen leak out from inside her.

"S-sorry." He scrambles for a tissue, blushing. Veena laughs, scooting away from the wet spot that has formed on the mattress and grabbing a tissue.

"I do believe Kofuku-dono will have something to say about this," Veena says, smirking. Kazuma groans embarrassed and drops his head onto her shoulder. "I wonder how often she and her shinki do this?"

"It never really occurred to me that they'd be this intimate," Kazuma says. Veena smiles.

"Well. He does call her his _kami-san_. And they're sleeping in the same room as we speak, so..."

"We've slept in the same room before and never done anything remotely close to this," he reminds her.

She reaches a hand up to ruffle his hair, fondly. "Well you should have said something earlier," she says, smiling. He sags into her neck and sighs, quietly.

"You forget, Veena. I aided and abetted the Ma clan's massacre. How could I possibly sully you when I had a secret like this?"

"Well you could have said something after I found out." She drops a kiss against his cheek, stroking his hair, thoughtfully.

He goes quiet a moment, and remembers how just a few short hours ago, he had stung her, nearly shattering his name and almost turning phantom in the process. How many times has she forgiven him? he thinks to himself, sobering. How could she love him when there was so much to lose?

Against him, Veena frowns, evidently sensing his disquiet. She rolls and moves so she can study his face, bringing their bodies close and settling against him, gently. "You are thinking too much," she says, quietly. Her lips brush against his collarbone and she kisses the spot, lightly. "Just a moment ago you were so happy."

"I was just remembering how little I've done to deserve you," he says, honestly. Veena frowns at him, shifting him closer.

"You have no say in this, Kazuma. You are mine to use as I see fit. Consider this another part of your job description."

"Oh geez." Kazuma breathes. "Okay. I'll try my best not to think too much of it."

"Good." She cuddles closer. "Tell me again that you love me?"

"I love you." The words are quiet and sincere.

"Mm. Say it again." Her voice is getting drowsy. He hitches her closer.

"I love you," he says, earnestly. She smiles into his skin.

"It makes me stronger when you're happy, so you may tell me this as often as you'd like," she says.

"It'd make me happy to hear you say it, too," he says, and his eyes widen. He's about to apologize for his mistake when she looks at him intently.

"I'm not...sure I know exactly what love is supposed to feel like," she says slowly. She furrows her brow, searching for the right words, and Kazuma steels himself, waiting for her rejection. "But you are necessary to me. Just as I need my heart to keep beating. You're the air I need to breathe."

He stares at her, shocked. Veena smiles up at him and he feels a warmth gathering behind his eyes. He has never been anything more than a piece of garbage, and to compensate he's always tried to be more loyal, more competent, better to her as a human. Even a day ago, he would have taken those words to mean he is her critical and unerring guide, that his use as a vessel and a man were secondary to her.

But now she's smiling at him, and her fingers are laced tenderly through his, and he realizes the depths of their connection, something stronger and deeper between them. He knows she loves him even if she doesn't use the words.

"Veena?"

"Hm?"

"I just..."

She blinks up at him owlishly, her eyes fringed with long lashes and butterscotch hair falling over her face.

"I just wanted to tell you..." _I never felt so happy. I love you so much my heart could burst._ "I-"

"I think I'm leaking more of your seed," Veena says, suddenly. She wipes her hand between her thighs, frowning a little. "Ugh, Kazuma. How much did you make, anyway?"

Kazuma laughs, startled. Leave it to Veena to spoil the moment. "I'm afraid I can't control that," Kazuma says, smiling, and they move off the mattress, Veena grabbing a few more tissues to dot at the wetness between her legs, and Kazuma shaking his head, smiling to himself. Of course a war god wouldn't worry herself with useless human emotions, not when there are more pressing matters, like needing to clean herself and lastly take a shower.

"Oh. Kazuma. You were going to say something?" She is padding barefoot to the bathroom, her hair swinging behind her.

He considers telling her a moment, the depths of his emotions and his feelings for her.

"Nothing of importance," he tells her, and he opens the closet to look for a towel.


End file.
